Do you know: I, a commoner prime minister

Chapter 65 Rewards

"What you've said is indeed a problem, but isn't it a bit too pessimistic?"

Hu Yuan frowned and said, "At present, the Great Zhou does not have the ability to wage a protracted war with either Liao or Xia. A meaningless war will only waste the country's strength."

Moreover, the situation among the three kingdoms is relatively stable and unlikely to change in the short term. As long as the long-standing problems within the court are addressed before the situation deteriorates, everything will be fine!

"The students are not pessimistic, they just have concerns about this."

Zhou An felt that he had also made the mistake of relying on empiricism.

Having lived two lives, he has seen many things that people of this era have never seen.

But Hu Yuan and his group were unaware of these things. In their view, the situation was still stable and there was enough time to resolve the long-standing problems.

Although they knew that solving the deep-seated problems would be extremely difficult, they were still generally very confident.

"Too!"

Hu Yuan's brows relaxed, realizing she had been too sensitive and had forgotten that she was just having a casual chat with Zhou An, not discussing politics with a colleague.

It is indeed rare that Zhou An was able to see this hidden danger.

"Teacher, it's getting late, the Deer Cry Banquet is about to begin," Du You reminded him.

"I almost forgot about the important matter!"

Hu Yuan laughed and said, "That's how it is when people get old; they always forget things. Huaide, you should come with me."

"yes!"

Zhou An was delighted upon hearing this and followed Hu Yuan. Others would speculate about the relationship between the two.

Whether Hu Yuan admired him or he had some kind of relationship with Hu Yuan, in the absence of a conflict of interest, no official in Tongzhou, high or low, would make things difficult for him.

Du You helped Hu Yuan up, with Zhou An following behind them, and together they went to the banquet hall on the fourth floor.

In addition to the one hundred successful candidates in the imperial examinations, the Deer Cry Banquet also included officials of all ranks from Tongzhou and local prominent families, bringing the total number of attendees to over two hundred.

Upon Hu Yuan's arrival, the noisy hall instantly fell silent.

"Scholar Hu, please take a seat!" Guan Shuo stepped forward and greeted him.

"Prefect Guan is too kind."

Hu Yuan smiled and said, "Today is the Tongzhou Deer Cry Banquet, the main guests are Prefect Guan and the young man who passed the imperial examination. How could I, an old man, steal the spotlight!"

"Scholar Hu, what are you saying? It is an honor for Tongzhou to have you attend the Deer Cry Banquet. You should be seated in the highest seat!" Guan Shuo gestured with his hand.

One tried to persuade the other to decline, but in the end, the two of them sat together in the main seat.

Guan Shuo smiled and looked at Zhou An: "This must be Zhou Huaide from Qinghe, right?"

"It is indeed a young man who greets Prefect Guan!"

Zhou An crossed his hands in front of his chest, with his left hand grasping his right thumb and his right hand's four fingers extended, making a crossed-hands salute.

He referred to himself as "the young man" not to mean he was a junior. A successful candidate in the imperial examinations was also called a student. When facing officials, referring to oneself as "the young man" meant that one had passed the imperial examinations after the officials.

"Haha, thanks to your reminder, we were able to catch those scammers this time!"

Guan Shuo smiled and said, "I am deeply indebted to you, thank you very much!"

"Prefect Guan, you flatter me. This young man is also a candidate, and I have an inescapable responsibility!" Zhou An said solemnly.

"That's true," Guan Shuo said. "Without your reminder, the thief might have escaped. You deserve a reward for your service. I've had the government prepare a prize for you, and I'll have it delivered to you later!"

Zhou An naturally refused, but when Guan Shuo mentioned Zigong's redemption of the ox, he had no choice but to accept it.

"Does Scholar Hu know Huaide?" Guan Shuo asked Hu Yuan.

"This is the first time I've met him, but I've heard of him back in Bianjing," Hu Yuan said with a smile.

"Um?"

Guan Shuo was somewhat surprised. Had Zhou An's reputation already spread to Bianjing?

But he, the prefect, knew nothing about it.

"He is..."

Hu Yuan smiled and recounted the relationship between Zhou An and Lu Wang.

"I see!"

Guan Shuo suddenly realized, "Lord Lu left in such a hurry that I didn't even have time to see him off after hearing the news!"

"Huai De, please take a seat. My son has saved a place for you."

"yes!"

Zhou An bowed and sat down next to Guan Yan.

"Huai De".

Guan Yan leaned closer and whispered, "I never imagined you and Lord Lu had this kind of relationship!"

"Lord Lu took good care of me when he was in Qinghe, I can't just tell everyone I meet," Zhou An shook his head.

"That's true!" Guan Yan nodded.

"Gentlemen!"

At this moment, Guan Shuo stood up and said loudly, "Yesterday..."

He recounted what had happened the previous day, emphasizing that there had been no cheating in this imperial examination, and that the culprits had been caught and confessed.

"There are no shortcuts to the imperial examinations; one must rely on years of diligent study. Since this was not considered true cheating, I will not pursue the matter further, and all stolen goods will be confiscated. In the future, any similar incidents will result in the expulsion of all academic titles."

Guan Shuo's gaze swept over everyone, and many people avoided eye contact.

Because some of them were scammed.

Even if they pass the provincial examination now, they cannot guarantee that they will pass the provincial examination before taking it.

Guan Shuo withdrew his gaze and introduced Hu Yuan: "This is Hu Xueshi, the former lecturer of the Imperial Academy. Many of the questions for this year's provincial examination were written by Hu Xueshi, so the difficulty is much higher than in previous years."

Your success in the examinations demonstrates that you are indeed among the most talented in Tongzhou. I wish you all the best in next year's imperial examinations, hoping you will achieve the highest honors and stand out from the crowd!

Other officials, prominent families, and newly appointed scholars all raised their cups and stood up.

"Tai!"

Guan Shuo raised his glass in a gesture of respect.

"Tai!"

Everyone raised their cups, and when Guan Shuo tilted his head back to drink, they all tilted their heads back and drank the wine in their cups as well.

"Qian Sui" means "cheers," and shouting "Wan Sui" (long live) is taboo in the Great Zhou Dynasty, so "Qian Sui" would not be used.

After finishing his drinks, Guan Shuo announced loudly, "Please, everyone, make yourselves at home!"

Perhaps due to a series of recent events, this year's Deer Cry Banquet was not as lively as usual.

The banquet ended abruptly after it concluded.

As the event ended, Guan Shuo instructed the newly appointed scholars that if they planned to travel to the capital to take the metropolitan examination the following year, they could register in advance at the prefectural government office and receive travel expenses.

When Zhou An and Guan Yan were about to leave, Guan Shuo sent someone to deliver the reward he had been given to them.

Upon learning of the reward, Zhou An was both delighted and somewhat overwhelmed.

Because Guan Shuo rewarded him with a house in Tongzhou, which, although just an ordinary three-courtyard house, was worth several thousand taels of silver.

"Don't worry, you can keep it!"

Guan Yan noticed Zhou An's worry and smiled, "A merchant committed a crime before the New Year, and this house was confiscated. The reward you received was approved by all the officials in Tongzhou and will be reported to the imperial court. There won't be any problems."

"I just think this reward is a bit too much!" Zhou An said.

"All the officials in Tongzhou owe you a favor. If those swindlers aren't caught this time, their performance evaluations this year will be affected."

Moreover, if things get out of control, even the imperial court will be disgraced, so this reward is nothing," Guan Yan explained.

"Then I'm relieved!"

Zhou An's biggest worry was that Guan Shuo, out of gratitude, would defy public opinion and give him a large reward.

If someone makes a fuss about this, Guan Shuo will be in trouble, and his reward will also be in jeopardy. It's better not to have it at all.

"When are you planning to go back to your hometown?" Guan Yan asked.

"We'll set off tomorrow!"

Zhou An smiled and said, "Having been away from home for so long, I'm starting to miss it!"